Dining Out: Bar food with a twist at What Cheer Tavern_BINARY_1012017

PROVIDENCE -- We need our dollars to go far these days. That's why a spot like the What Cheer Tavern is so needed

Gail Ciampa Journal Food Editor gailciampa

PROVIDENCE -- We need our dollars to go far these days. That's why a spot like the What Cheer Tavern is so needed.

But we also want our food to be fresh and made with local ingredients to satisfy the carnivore and vegetarian among us. And we crave local beers on tap. Those are the reasons why the What Cheer Tavern is great.

Here you will find the newest husband-and-wife team running a restaurant in Rhode Island. But unlike most of those couples, Zoe Brown is the chef in the kitchen and Dave Crockenberg is the face of the tavern as he greets guests and tends bar.

What a job Brown's doing in the kitchen with her pickled eggs, bacon Buffalo wings, warm bowls of chili and fries. These are the very heart of bar food. But Brown's dishes are so much more -- they are elevated and diversified and she uses locally sources ingredients. She offers a vegetarian chili with tofu crumbles and vegetarian wontons with a spicy sauce that are delectable. In addition to a house-pickled egg, she also serves a Chinese Tea Egg and the beautiful Curry Pickled Egg. There are three kinds of fries including sweet potato and Buffalo. Her wings include ones made with the Chinese five spice seasoning that she prepares with a two-day process for marinating and cooking.

When they first opened What Cheer six months ago, in what had been a dive bar, Brown had some bacon in the back and she wondered aloud if she should makes some wings with the pork. Her husband said that sounded really good and now it is a popular dish made with thick-cut bacon crumbles and bacon hot sauce.

There are nightly specials, pulled pork sandwiches among them. Everything is made to order.

Best of all, the tavern is a bargain. The wings are $9; eggs $1 a piece and chilis are $6 for beef and $7 for vegetarian. Wontons cost $4 and nachos and crab rangoon cost $7. That wouldn't matter if the food wasn't excellent. She makes her own sauces including duck and the Thai chili sauce for the wontons.

At the bar and in the seats around the tavern, Crockenberg is a jovial host, greeting guests and making newcomers comfortable among the regulars. He's ready with all the details of his current eight taps, soon to be 12. Each offers a craft brew from Rhode Island or Massachusetts. Right now, they include two from Sean Larkin's Revival Brewing, the Double Black IPA and Saison; Stargazer from Grey Sail of Westerly; Pawtucket's Foolproof Brewery's IPA on another; and Narragansett. He'll describe the style of the beers and offer a sample for those who unsure of their tastes. He changes the taps regularly, which is good for trying new things.

The focus on local products includes offering Yacht Club Sodas from the full bar, which has a small wine list in addition to all the craft beer in bottles as well as at the taps.

He's a home brewer but that is still just a hobby. The space at What Cheer is at a premium with 32 seats, but there is a nice outdoor dining area Crockenberg will turn into a beer garden when the warm weather arrives. Inside it's comfortable and nicely appointed with four televisions, lovely wooden blinds and a kitschy decor.

Brown is a critical care nurse at The Miriam Hospital two days a week. She worked in restaurants growing up in Vermont and today finds her time in the kitchen is actually a stress reliever.

The couple met in Vermont and joked that they might someday own a tiki bar in Florida. So, it wasn't such a crazy leap for them to open What Cheer at Narragansett Boulevard and New York Avenue, across from Sollitto's liquor store.

The What Cheer name, which is on the City of Providence seal, was not copyrighted. That allowed them a historic name for their tavern, harkening back to when Roger Williams greeted the Narragansett Indians with the friendly "What Cheer, Netop."

Details

What Cheer Tavern, 228 New York Ave., Providence, (401) 680-7639, whatcheertavern.com. Closed Sunday and Monday; open 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday with late closing.

On Twitter @gailciampa

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